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The Answers Isaac Send a noteboard - 03/08/2013 03:55:04 PM

View original postTest Your Geekdom

View original post

Vol XVIII: The Science of Sci-Fi

The Answers

View original post1. This 1999 film by the Wachowski Brothers was heavily inspired by the Allegory of the Cave.

View original postName the film

The Matrix

View original postName the philosopher credited with the Allegory of the Cave

Plato

View original post2. This author is often credited with popularizing robots with his 3 Laws of Robotics and his robots featuring positronic brains, both of which have been heavily borrowed by other writers. While the former is typically explained in each of his many stories on robots, the latter is never explained, beyond the assumption it functions on positrons, which are a real particle.

View original postName that Author

Isaac Asimov

View original postName the anti-particle of the positron

The Electron

View original post3. Also known as an Einstein-Rosen Bridge, this hypothetical object allows one to travel from one place to another instantly, and is a common method of faster than light travel in Sci-Fi. One of the better known examples is from a TV series in the 1990s, part of a famous Sci-fi Franchise that takes place on a space station located in deep space near such an object that exits on the other side of the galaxy.

View original postWhat is the common name for an Einstein-Rosen Bridge?

A Wormhole

View original postWhat is the name of TV series mentioned?

Star Trek: Deep Space 9

View original post4. This type of radiation is typically produced by Nuclear reactions, such as an exploding nuclear bomb, and is often used to give fictional characters incredible abilities rather than cancer, and sometimes turn them green. Perhaps the most famous example is a Marvel Comics character best known for his anger management issues. That character himself is often considered inspired by a 1886 novella by Robert Louis Stevenson, which revolves around a person suffering from a psychological condition very popular with writers and explored with a DC Comic’s Batman antagonist known for flipping coins.

View original postName the radiation type

Gamma Radiation

View original postName the Marvel Character

The Incredible Hulk, or Dr. Bruce Banner

View original postName the 1886 Novella

Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

View original postName the psychological condition

Split Personality, or Dissociative identity disorder, or multiple personality disorder

View original postName the DC villain

Harvey Dent a.k.a. Two Face

View original post5. This Astrophysical Principle is the philosophical consideration that observations of the physical Universe must be compatible with the conscious life that observes it. It was once discussed by this late SF writer known for his stories about hitchhiking as follows, “Imagine a puddle waking up one morning and thinking, 'This is an interesting world I find myself in — an interesting hole I find myself in — fits me rather neatly, doesn't it? In fact it fits me staggeringly well, must have been made to have me in it!'”

View original postName the principle

The Anthropic Principle

View original postName the Author

Douglas Adams

View original post6. This unit of measuring vast distances sounds similar enough to a unit of time that it is probably no surprise this fictional spaceship pilot once claimed to have made the Kessel Run, a race of a set distance, in 12 of them, even though the goal of races is usually to do them in the shortest time and shortening the distance is usually called cheating. On the other hand this character is a notorious cheat, and his creator does often get time confused, such as not knowing who shot first.

View original postName the unit of measure

The Parsec

View original postName the character mentioned

Han Solo

View original postName the creator mentioned

George Lucas

View original postName the character that creator claims shot first

Greedo

View original post7. This 1956 film, an example of “So bad, it’s good” sort-of stars Bela Lugosi and had an allegedly intelligent alien from outer space claim "a ray of sunlight is made up of many atoms.", making it unsurprising the plan failed just like the 8 before it.

View original postWhat particle is a ray of sunlight composed of?

Photons

View original postWhat is the name of the Film?

Plan 9 from Outer Space

View original post8. This fictional material is named after a fictional origin world of a famous protagonist which just happens to be named identically to a real world chemical element discovered in 1898 by Chemists Sir William Ramsay and Morris Travers.

View original postWhat is the name of the fictional material?

Kryptonite

View original postWhat is the name of the real world material and the fictional world?

Krypton

View original postWhat is the name of the aforementioned protagonist?

Superman a.k.a. Kal'el a.k.a. Clark Kent

View original post9. The material mentioned in the previous question is known to weaken the protagonist, who is otherwise nearly invincible. There is a common phrase referring to a mythological figure and part of his anatomy that is used to describe such things as areas of weakness or vulnerable spots.

View original postName the Mythological Figure

Achilles

View original postName the portion of his anatomy which was weak

His Heel

View original post10. There is a scientific law, named for a pair of common geometric shapes, which states that if you increase size of an object proportionally its area increases by the square of that increase and its volume by the cube. This is often cited as the reason very large fictional creatures, such as dragons, could not fly, or why this famous giant fictional reptile - who is often headed straight for Tokyo - could not exist.

View original postName the Law

The Square-Cube Law

View original postName the Tokyo-bound reptile

Godzilla

View original post11. This hypothetical particle is a frequent tacky plot device for allowing time travel or faster-than-light communications, such as the Fatline communication method described in a popular science fiction series written by Dan Simmons.

View original postName the hypothetical particle

The Tachyon

View original postName the first book of the aforementioned series

Hyperion

View original post12. This 1982 film based on a story by Phillip K. Dick features a Voight-Kampff machine, a means of determining if someone is a human or not, and seems inspired by a test designed by a famous mathemetician and early computer scientist. A real world example of this test is CAPTCHA codes, used to determine if data is being sent by a human.

View original postName the mathematician and test

Alan Turing, the Turing Test

View original postName the 1982 film

Blade Runner

The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.
- Albert Einstein
King of Cairhien 20-7-2
Chancellor of the Landsraad, Archduke of Is'Mod

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Test Your Geekdom, Vol XVIII: The Science of Sci-Fi Isaac - 03/08/2013 03:44:44 PM 633 Views

The Answers Isaac - 03/08/2013 03:55:04 PM 440 Views

20 random thoughts - 03/08/2013 06:44:22 PM 483 Views

I got 25. Nate - 03/08/2013 07:48:07 PM 509 Views

You should definitely remedy that, but then the conundrum is, which version... *NM* Legolas - 03/08/2013 09:38:04 PM 268 Views

The correct geek answer is "All of them... then read the book" *NM* Isaac - 04/08/2013 03:13:00 AM 215 Views

23. Not too bad, despite a few stupid misses. *NM* Legolas - 03/08/2013 09:36:27 PM 209 Views

27/30 Stephen - 04/08/2013 05:12:21 PM 473 Views

Argh, science! 21 points! ironclad - 05/08/2013 10:19:57 PM 469 Views

All of them; either the quizzers are getting easier or I am getting smarter (dealers choice.) Joel - 11/08/2013 10:26:36 PM 466 Views

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<quote id="278564">
<quote id="278563"><center>Test Your Geekdom</quote>

<quote id="278563">:reading: Vol XVIII: The Science of Sci-Fi :reading:
The Answers </center></quote>

<quote id="278563">1. This 1999 film by the Wachowski Brothers was heavily inspired by the Allegory of the Cave. </quote>
<quote id="278563">Name the film</quote>
The Matrix
<quote id="278563">Name the philosopher credited with the Allegory of the Cave</quote>
Plato

<quote id="278563">2. This author is often credited with popularizing robots with his 3 Laws of Robotics and his robots featuring positronic brains, both of which have been heavily borrowed by other writers. While the former is typically explained in each of his many stories on robots, the latter is never explained, beyond the assumption it functions on positrons, which are a real particle.</quote>

<quote id="278563">Name that Author</quote>
Isaac Asimov
<quote id="278563">Name the anti-particle of the positron</quote>
The Electron

<quote id="278563">3. Also known as an Einstein-Rosen Bridge, this hypothetical object allows one to travel from one place to another instantly, and is a common method of faster than light travel in Sci-Fi. One of the better known examples is from a TV series in the 1990s, part of a famous Sci-fi Franchise that takes place on a space station located in deep space near such an object that exits on the other side of the galaxy.</quote>

<quote id="278563">What is the common name for an Einstein-Rosen Bridge?</quote>
A Wormhole
<quote id="278563">What is the name of TV series mentioned?</quote>
Star Trek: Deep Space 9

<quote id="278563">4. This type of radiation is typically produced by Nuclear reactions, such as an exploding nuclear bomb, and is often used to give fictional characters incredible abilities rather than cancer, and sometimes turn them green. Perhaps the most famous example is a Marvel Comics character best known for his anger management issues. That character himself is often considered inspired by a 1886 novella by Robert Louis Stevenson, which revolves around a person suffering from a psychological condition very popular with writers and explored with a DC Comic’s Batman antagonist known for flipping coins.</quote>

<quote id="278563">Name the radiation type</quote>
Gamma Radiation
<quote id="278563">Name the Marvel Character</quote>
The Incredible Hulk, or Dr. Bruce Banner
<quote id="278563">Name the 1886 Novella</quote>
Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
<quote id="278563">Name the psychological condition</quote>
Split Personality, or Dissociative identity disorder, or multiple personality disorder
<quote id="278563">Name the DC villain</quote>
Harvey Dent a.k.a. Two Face

<quote id="278563">5. This Astrophysical Principle is the philosophical consideration that observations of the physical Universe must be compatible with the conscious life that observes it. It was once discussed by this late SF writer known for his stories about hitchhiking as follows, “Imagine a puddle waking up one morning and thinking, 'This is an interesting world I find myself in — an interesting hole I find myself in — fits me rather neatly, doesn't it? In fact it fits me staggeringly well, must have been made to have me in it!'”</quote>

<quote id="278563">Name the principle</quote>
The Anthropic Principle
<quote id="278563">Name the Author</quote>
Douglas Adams

<quote id="278563">6. This unit of measuring vast distances sounds similar enough to a unit of time that it is probably no surprise this fictional spaceship pilot once claimed to have made the Kessel Run, a race of a set distance, in 12 of them, even though the goal of races is usually to do them in the shortest time and shortening the distance is usually called cheating. On the other hand this character is a notorious cheat, and his creator does often get time confused, such as not knowing who shot first.</quote>
<quote id="278563">Name the unit of measure</quote>
The Parsec
<quote id="278563">Name the character mentioned</quote>
Han Solo
<quote id="278563">Name the creator mentioned</quote>
George Lucas
<quote id="278563">Name the character that creator claims shot first</quote>
Greedo

<quote id="278563">7. This 1956 film, an example of “So bad, it’s good” sort-of stars Bela Lugosi and had an allegedly intelligent alien from outer space claim "a ray of sunlight is made up of many atoms.", making it unsurprising the plan failed just like the 8 before it.</quote>
<quote id="278563">What particle is a ray of sunlight composed of?</quote>
Photons
<quote id="278563">What is the name of the Film?</quote>
Plan 9 from Outer Space

<quote id="278563">8. This fictional material is named after a fictional origin world of a famous protagonist which just happens to be named identically to a real world chemical element discovered in 1898 by Chemists Sir William Ramsay and Morris Travers.</quote>

<quote id="278563">What is the name of the fictional material?</quote>
Kryptonite
<quote id="278563">What is the name of the real world material and the fictional world?</quote>
Krypton
<quote id="278563">What is the name of the aforementioned protagonist?</quote>
Superman a.k.a. Kal'el a.k.a. Clark Kent

<quote id="278563">9. The material mentioned in the previous question is known to weaken the protagonist, who is otherwise nearly invincible. There is a common phrase referring to a mythological figure and part of his anatomy that is used to describe such things as areas of weakness or vulnerable spots.</quote>
<quote id="278563">Name the Mythological Figure</quote>
Achilles
<quote id="278563">Name the portion of his anatomy which was weak</quote>
His Heel

<quote id="278563">10. There is a scientific law, named for a pair of common geometric shapes, which states that if you increase size of an object proportionally its area increases by the square of that increase and its volume by the cube. This is often cited as the reason very large fictional creatures, such as dragons, could not fly, or why this famous giant fictional reptile - who is often headed straight for Tokyo - could not exist.</quote>
<quote id="278563">Name the Law</quote>
The Square-Cube Law
<quote id="278563">Name the Tokyo-bound reptile</quote>
Godzilla

<quote id="278563">11. This hypothetical particle is a frequent tacky plot device for allowing time travel or faster-than-light communications, such as the Fatline communication method described in a popular science fiction series written by Dan Simmons.</quote>
<quote id="278563">Name the hypothetical particle</quote>
The Tachyon
<quote id="278563">Name the first book of the aforementioned series</quote>
Hyperion

<quote id="278563">12. This 1982 film based on a story by Phillip K. Dick features a Voight-Kampff machine, a means of determining if someone is a human or not, and seems inspired by a test designed by a famous mathemetician and early computer scientist. A real world example of this test is CAPTCHA codes, used to determine if data is being sent by a human.</quote>
<quote id="278563">Name the mathematician and test</quote>
Alan Turing, the Turing Test
<quote id="278563">Name the 1982 film</quote>
Blade Runner
</quote>

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